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How Do Ballistic Reports Work?
[ "If they have the gun suspected to have been used, they take it to a forensic lab and fire a similar bullet through it. The grooves in the barrel will make near-identical marks in the bullets, easily comparable under microscope. The spent shell casing can be studied in the same way. The gun's firing pin, extractor...
[ "Being Black Does Actually Have (Relatively Minor) Health Consequences, It's Just That They're Obviated By Modern Life. There's An Energy Cost To Have Extra Melanin, Even A Small One, So If You Don't Need It It Won't Be Selected For. Melanin Reduces Vitamin-D Uptake From The Sun If Sunlight Is Lower Than You're Ada...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why does gargling salt water make a sore throat feel better?
[ "Salt kills the bacteria/germs AND helps you heal, that's why some cultures rub salt on wounds." ]
[ "The lining of your throat is swollen and irritated. The air going by bothers it a lot making it think something very small is stuck in your throat causing you to cough. The cough drop contains one of more of the following: - Something like sugar that coats the throat so air doesn't irritate it. - Something like ...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query:", "pos": "Represent the comment:", "neg": "Represent the comment:" }
How can Reddit still be alive if its not turning a profit?
[ "Not turning a profit and losing money aren't the same thing." ]
[ "Money. Reddit has less of it and consequently can't afford as many servers. When there is a spike in traffic Reddit goes down." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query about Economics:", "pos": "Represent the paragraph about Economics:", "neg": "Represent the paragraph about Technology:" }
How can no deaths caused by Cannabis be recorded? Surely someone has died due to lung disease or other complications from excessive smoking of the drug.
[ "When they say it's caused no deaths, they mean no one has ever died from marijuana intoxication. So it's impossible to smoke so much weed that you'll overdose and die. This is unlike other drugs like alcohol and heroin. Even if you're sitting at home, not doing anything dangerous, if you drink enough alcohol in on...
[ "Alcohol can lead to several fatal conditions, either in a single round of consumption, or over a prolonged period of excessive consumption. Marijuana can be bad for your lungs, just as is inhaling any particulate matter, so a lifetime of excessive smoking may lead to lung related ailments, but you can't consume en...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
The difference between percent and percentage points.
[ "Let's say you are running for office, and currently poll at 40%. If your support went up by 10 percent, that would mean 10% of 40%, or 4%, to 44%. If you support went up by 10 percentage points, that would be 10% of the whole, taking you to 50%." ]
[ "Smaller numbers go in to bigger number more times. So the answers are bigger." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:" }
Why do different areas of the U.S. have such dramatically different "accents"?
[ "Because, when people started moving to America, they weren't all from the same countries. People living in different places had different ways of talking to each other. When they came to American, all their different ways of talking blended, like the dinner on your plate. A lot didn't mix, but some did. When you l...
[ "Funny enough, you don't see a lot of protesting in regions with low-single-digit unemployment." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why do people always land a perfect high five when looking at the other person's elbow
[ "The elbow stays relatively fixed and can accurately predict where the hand will be (a lower arms length above the hand) when you strike. Extrapolating the position of the hand based on it's movement around the elbow-axis is relatively harder, when using the moving hand as the input info. That said, there is a lot ...
[ "I imagine there's a little more dignity for the shooters if they shoot your chest rather than blow your face off." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:" }
How does HBO use so many brand names and products?
[ "HBO has it easier because they don't have commercials in a show. One of the biggest reasons regular TV blurs out brand names (or uses fake names) is for future advertising. If your TV show always shows people drinking Coca Cola, you're guaranteeing that your show will never have Pepsi as a sponsor after it's in S...
[ "The same reason they you don't see them use google when searching for things but always use some generic search engine. There are strict laws regarding product placement in movies and TV shows. In France it's against the law to even mention facebook or twitter on TV." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why do they let the Juno probe crash on jupiter after the mission?
[ "There is no possible alignment of the planets that would enable Juno to escape Jupiter's gravity. And if it did return somehow to Earth, it would burn up in the atmosphere. It isn't designed for atmospheric reentry, as those features would make it heavier." ]
[ "There's no wind in space, but there's wind in Jupiter's atmosphere, just like there's wind here on Earth. The probe will reach Jupiter the same way that other probes have been sent to planets before." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the title:", "pos": "Represent the post:", "neg": "Represent the post:" }
How do telecoms and/or ISPs deal with massive, short bursts of traffic that come with arenas and stadiums that host 20-100,000 people at a time?
[ "They have mobile antennas on trailers they setup near events where they think the current signal will be overwhelmed." ]
[ "Well whether it makes sense or not won't serve to change the minds of the companies that own all the rights. Additionally, though, the internet isn't really the best place for something like TV. The internet doesn't really have a means to send a lot of people the same data at the same time. If I want to send 5 peo...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why are precious metals, uh, precious, within the context of a world economic collapse? What good would having gold and silver without rule of law?
[ "Because people would believe they were valuable. Throughout history, people have figured out that barter is a pain, so they have taken some arbitrary, largely valueless item, and giving it artificial value. It has to be rare enough people don't just dig it up, but not so rare there isn't enough of it to go around...
[ "Gold's value was predicated on a few things, two that you mention, one you did not but I'm sure you know: scarcity. Usefulness, beauty and scarcity. The value of gold was something cultures agreed on. Even one culture to another, you did not have to speak the lingo, you showed them gold, they offered you trade goo...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit text:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit text:" }
What is the difference between 87,89,91
[ "The octane rating deals with how easily a fuel ignites, with higher numbers being more resistant to igniting. For higher-end sports cars, this is important because their engines typically create significantly higher pressure before combustion to harness more power. If the fuel ignites prematurely (because you're u...
[ "So what would happen if I had car with: - 1 Nm and 1000 horsepower - 1000 Nm and 1 horsepower" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit post:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit post:" }
Why are so many people allergic to Gluten?
[ "Many people are jumping on an anti-gluten bandwagon -- they're uninformed, and think that it's bad for them, or that their one symptom in common with true gluten sensitivity is actually indicative of a real gluten problem. A headache is a symptom of a cold or a brain tumor -- you're more likely to have a cold.... ...
[ "Because peanut allergies are different from nut allergies. I'm allergic to peanuts but not nuts." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:" }
Why does cheese taste so much better when melted and browned?
[ "One reason, as /u/snigglesnort mentioned, is texture. It becomes creamy when molten and crispy when browned. Also a lot of food tastes better when warm because you can smell it better and every \"taste\" that isn't \"sweet\", \"sour\", \"salty\", \"bitter\" or \"umami\" (imagine it like the taste of bacon) actuall...
[ "It doesn't, if you reheat it the right way. (Stop using the microwave.) In fact, I actually prefer some foods the next day. Lasagna is so much better on day 2, freshly reheated out of the oven." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Food:" }
Why does taking vitamins on an empty stomach cause an upset stomach?
[ "Vitamins are a little often-hard pellet of one or more various compounds, some of which are acids depending on the type you're taking. When you swallow that pill whole without anything else buffering it down there, it basically sits on your stomach lining, sometimes reacting with or penetrating its protective lini...
[ "Try eating some food before hand. Some people experience pretty bad stomach aches when drinking water on an empty stomach." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query:", "pos": "Represent the comment:", "neg": "Represent the comment:" }
Why are websites promoting crazed use of infinite scrolling?
[ "The most common time for someone to leave your website is when the page ends. So if the page never ends, the theory goes, you're less likely to leave." ]
[ "Welcome to the one of the strongest arguments against the prohibition of firearms." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why is it okay for IV drips to have air bubbles running through the lines?
[ "I read IV as Roman numerals and only came here for clarification on why it was ok for 4 drips to have air bubbles running through their lines. I had completly had 100% no idea what was going on." ]
[ "Water follows salt, and bacteria need water. After they get pulled out of the infected area by the salt in the water, the salt pulls out the water inside the bacteria too, and that's how they die. To answer your second question, yes it can be used in other areas. In medical situations there's something called *nor...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:" }
Why does the weight we gain from food based off of the food's calorie value instead of its physical weight?
[ "The parts of food that don't contain calories aren't absorbed by our bodies and come out as urine and feces." ]
[ "*Technically* yes, but only because of the food in your stomach. If *gained* weight means gained body mass, no, you will gain less than a pound per pound eaten. There are reasons having to do with energy content being less than 100%, but suffice it to say if all of your food turned straight into body, you would ne...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit text:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit text:" }
Why does a higher fps mean slower footage on a Slow Motion Camera, when in Videogames, it means faster?
[ "Higher FPS doesn't mean slower footage. Time passes at the speed time passes. However, if you want to shoot slow-motion stuff, you need to shoot with a higher framerate or else the camera is not recording enough data for it to look good when you slow it down. Slow-motion stuff is shot at high framerates. It still ...
[ "They match the frames per second the camera captures at. So every 'photo' the camera takes is close to matching the speed of the rotor." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query about videogame development:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit post about videogame development:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit post:" }
How do engineers build CPUs with around two billion transistors in them?
[ "They don't plot out each transistor by hand. They use higher level programming languages to do it. Something called a Hardware Descriptor Language." ]
[ "Because thousands engineers have spent years of their lives reducing the amount of power consumed by laptop chips. This includes making them run on lower voltage, and making each transistor very small so it uses very little current to turn on or off." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the title:", "pos": "Represent the sentence:", "neg": "Represent the sentence:" }
Why is having some fat on our bodies beneficial for us when were sick?
[ "I'm not exactly sure of the complete reason but a part of it has to do with the fact that we use fat to get energy. When you're sick, your body needs to increase its energy use to be able to overcome the sickness. For example, If you have the flu, your body increases its temperature to destroy the viruses in your ...
[ "So what is it about human physiology that makes this work differently for us?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why does road-rage make people behave the way they do?
[ "I had heard that it was related to people's personal space. Some people, those more inclined to road rage, viewed the vehicle as being their personal space. That means when other cars \"wrong\" them, they see it as a personnel attack rather than an incident on the road. I had read a study (no idea where at) that t...
[ "Because people are angry, hurt and frightened so they get mean and selfish about it." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
What's the difference between Megabits and Megabytes?
[ "One megabyte is equal to eight megabits. Megabits per second (mbps) are generally used to describe the speed of an Internet connection, whereas megabytes (MB) usually refer to the size of a file or storage space." ]
[ "Well, first of all, your speed will be limited by either your download speed or the uploaders upload speed, whatever is slowest. If the Xbox network only allows you to download at 30 Mbps, that's what you'll get. Secondly, there's a difference between MBps and Mbps. One MBps is 8 Mbps. So if your download speed is...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Internet speed and service:" }
How are illegal immigrants able to afford to come to the U.S., support themselves and send money back home while so many citizens are dependent on government assistance?
[ "It's a combination of working their asses off and also living as cheaply as possible, which is why you hear the stereotype of an illegal family of 30 people living in a one-bedroom apartment. A \"living wage\" becomes much lower if you make your idea of \"living\" much cheaper." ]
[ "If you are going to flee your country, would you flee to some place that has universal healthcare and programs for immigrants or would you flee to someplace where the annual salary is $200 per year, no healthcare and no sewers? Also, most Asian countries are not as friendly to foreigners moving there without money...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the title:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Back in the olden days, movies showed the majority to all of their credits BEFORE the actual movie. Now, the credits roll after the movie. When was the official transition between the two, and why did Cinema change it?
[ "Originally actors and actresses were not credited for their work. Eventually some bright spark realised that if they are using popular actors and actresses they can increase sales in subsequent films by advertising the fact these actors and actresses are in the film. When this started they were credited at the sta...
[ "They're not really for you, the viewer. Studios know that nobody ever sits through the credits and actually watches them. The different artists and technical people who worked on the movie would like to put it on their resume for later jobs though, the credits are mostly for their benefit." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why after running for a while do my lungs get that painful burning sensation?
[ "If it happens in cold weather, it could be simply from the cold air, especially if you're breathing through your mouth. The cold dry air doesn't warm up through your mouth, but it does through your nose. So, when you breathe through your mouth in the cold weather, your lungs get cold dry air in them which can caus...
[ "Could be a large air bubble when gulping water, happens to me now and again if I drink in a hurry. Very painful for a few seconds then fine." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post about Health and Fitness:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit passage about Health and Fitness:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:" }
Why did some old programming languages like PL/I and "real" BASIC completely die out, while some like Fortran and COBOL never get replaced?
[ "The rise of Unix brought C and C++ to the fore, and these replaced many languages. Fortran and COBOL have been on the decline for a long time. They stay alive because of large code bases that would be expensive to port to a new language." ]
[ "Yes. Decades ago, everything run on COBOL. Now it's nonexistent, except in legacy systems (which is a pain in the ass for people maintaining them). What most non-programmers don't realize is that there are **thousands** of programming languages in use right now. Every software engineering undergraduate has probab...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query:", "pos": "Represent the comment:", "neg": "Represent the comment:" }
How did 209 countries attempt to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup if there are only 195 countries in the world?
[ "There's a lot of \"countries\" in the World Cup that other governments don't recongnize such as Palestine. There are also multiple teams in one country like England and Wales each have their own team" ]
[ "Most 5-year-olds would have fallen asleep during the answers so far. Soccer schedules are ten times simpler than North American sports schedules. Here's what you need to know. 1. Champions League matches are played during the regular season. 2. Qualification for the Champions League is based on the previous season...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the post:", "pos": "Represent the post:", "neg": "Represent the post:" }
What are the main reasons the cost of a barrel of oil has gotten so low for so long?
[ "Basically whats happening is: the oil company that is doing this is marking their prices so low that they are losing at lot of money. However, in doing so, their competitors lose a lot of business and may even go out of business." ]
[ "That is only the price of crude oil, which still needs to be refined in order to be used in your car. The price of crude oil is not going to be exactly proportional to the price of gasoline because the costs to process the crude oil haven't necessarily gone down." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question about Economics:", "pos": "Represent the text about Economics:", "neg": "Represent the text about Economics:" }
Why are Carlights in the distance still very blinding even if they have no visible impact on the surroundings.
[ "They produce a narrow cone of light using focusing optics, since most people only want to see what they're pointing at/where their car is driving towards. It would take *a lot* more power to illuminate a wider cone equally well. Now, I'm going to hazard a wild generalization, and inform you that American cars suck...
[ "Red light is the best for keeping night vision so you can see better around you at night even when there are cars in front of you." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit text:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit text:" }
how does 'flipping' houses work?
[ "It can be a scam. It can be a hobby for some people. Ideally you buy a house that's an ugly/old house on a nice block and renovate it. This is a bit of a gamble because you'd want to buy a house in a new or upcoming neighborhood (possibly gentrifying) so the property value will increase over the course of the reno...
[ "How much do they cost vs how much will they generate." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
How did early people give birth to children without proper tools and sanitation?
[ "Tools aren't generally required. Babies have got quite a bit bigger as people have got better fed, so years ago they were a bit easier to squeeze out. Sadly though, the most important thing is that lots of mums and babies died. Infant mortality was high, and things like puerperal fever killed a lot shortly after b...
[ "Modern humans tend to be better fed, more nourished, have better shelter from the elements and tend to have at least some amount of fairly modern medical techniques available to them like sanitizing wounds." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit text:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit text:" }
If there were bacteria on Mars, why wouldn't it be everywhere like on Earth?
[ "Mars lacks a functional magnetosphere to protect the planet's surface from the Sun's radiation, and the atmosphere is incredibly thin and diminishing more every day. As a result there are very few locations on Mars where bacterial life could live for a prolonged period of time. To put this in perspective, even aft...
[ "Water is heavy but very necessary for life. If the planet already has water on it, it may make it easier for people to travel to the planet if they don't have to take quite as much water with them. This is especially true if we ever attempt to colonize the planet. Also, since it's essential for life as we know, di...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
If I'm moving at 100 mph and throw a ball forward at 100 mph does that ball now travel at 200 mph?
[ "Relative to the ground yes, provided you throw it in the direction you are moving. Relative to you no, it is traveling at 100mph. Relative to the sun it's probably closer to 67000mph" ]
[ "> Suppose you're traveling in a train moving the speed of light (theoretically) You cannot travel the speed of light, even theoretically. Instead, say that you're on a train moving 99% the speed of light, and your throw a tennis ball in front of you at 99% the speed of light (you've got a hell of a throwing arm). ...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
We had learnt in school that you should always be adding acid to water and never vice versa. Then isnt it harmful if I drink water when I'm hungry (i.e. my stomach is producing acid)?
[ "You shouldn't add water to acid, because it might fly out of the container, and burn you. When it's inside your stomach, no matter how much it's agitated, it won't hurt you, because of your stomach lining. EDIT: Thanks for the better word." ]
[ "the theory is that it will cause indigestion somehow. likely due to the milk being basic and the OJ being acidic. if you ever mix them in a cup you will see the milk curdle. but when you consider that your stomach is literally filled with acid all the time it doesn't make much sense." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query:", "pos": "Represent the passage:", "neg": "Represent the passage:" }
Why do the majority of automatic guns have 30 bullets in their magazines?
[ "Military clips come with 10 rounds a piece. A magazine using them is best off loading in multiples of 10 rounds. So you're looking at choosing between 20, 30, or 40 rounds. 40 is just too much for standard use. It makes the magazine stick down too far to shoot from prone (a 30 round AR-15 mag sits almost even wit...
[ "The bullets in a revolver are in a rotating cylinder behind the barrel. In a semi-automatic pistol, the bullets are in the handle. The shape of the bullets puts a geometry constraint on the handle." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:" }
why do basketball games look slower on tv then they do in person?
[ "I don't think they look any slower, but rather the camera view that most games are shot from is the ideal angle where you can see the entire half court and every player moving. You can therefore anticipate where players are going to be and cannot see their subtle quick movements as well. If you were to sit at a li...
[ "they do it in sports movies. I don't see why they couldn't do it in real life. everyone has a price." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:" }
How do scientists come up with names of drugs such as diphenhydramine and benzodiazepine?
[ "Some drugs can also be named after their chemical structure. For instance, acetaminophen's chemical structure name is \"para-**acet**yl**aminophen**ol\"" ]
[ "A lot of meds sound similar because it is indicative of what drug class they are in. Here are a few examples: -Caine = local anesthetic -mycin = antibiotic -olol = beta blocker -statin = for cholesterol" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why would anyone make estimated quarterly income tax payments?
[ "If you run a small business from your house, or you are a smaller scale giging musician, then there is no withholding. The government doesn't like that, so they fine you if you don't make payments." ]
[ "Your refund is smaller this because the difference between your excess withholdings and your final calculated taxes due is less. *Why* this is the case depends on your earnings, your withholdings, and all the various changes in tax amounts, credits and cutoffs that occur from one year to the next. So, in short, it...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit text:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit text:" }
How is the United States a global education leader (at least in terms of universities) when it is objectively worse compared to other developed countries?
[ "Its all about the wealth inequality. Those first division universities are attended by children of the wealthy who have benefited from an expensive education their whole lives. The universities do well on a global level because they are compared with foreign Universities that have a more open admissions policy or ...
[ "Down to two things education and history. For the history America is said to be founded with a gun in one hand and a bible in the other, Americans are reluctant to admit to wanting to give up either. For education the level of general education in the US is the lower than in the other G7 developed countries, as le...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the title:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document about Political Science:" }
Why is Judge an elected position?
[ "Perhaps not the answer you're looking for, but electing judges (and a few other legal professions, such as district attorney) is an almost uniquely American habit. Much of the rest of the world (certainly that which is based on the British legal system) performs judicial appointments via the legislature or executi...
[ "Follow up: What *were* his reasons for siding with the British?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:" }
Why it's harder to breathe during strong winds
[ "When air move around an object it usually creates differences in pressure. Much like a plane wing. Now imagine a strong wind moving past your mouth. This will generate a low pressure in your mouth. This will now feel like it’s harder to breathe because there will physically be less air in your mouth." ]
[ "I'm no expert, but I do know it's harder for you to wake up and feel energized during the middle of REM sleep" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the title:", "pos": "Represent the comment:", "neg": "Represent the comment about Health:" }
How did the first ever translation between two different languages come about?
[ "Likely the same way you would learn a new language if you were thrust into a foreign country. You would find common necessary objects and learn those names (water, clothes, and food to start with) and expand your vocabulary over time. With enough vocabulary you can start getting context and syntax clues to be able...
[ "Because the written form of the language does not change as fast as the spoken form. Go far enough back, most of them were pronounced." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the post:", "pos": "Represent the answer:", "neg": "Represent the answer:" }
What is the difference between a SSD and a HDD?
[ "The short and sweet version is, a hard disk drive uses a spinning disk to store the data, which is read by a special sensor on the tip of an arm. It works the same as a record player, just on a smaller and faster scale. Solid state drives use flash memory, similar to the SD card that phones and other devices use. ...
[ "What you are describing are Read/Write operations, which are mainly related to your hard drive. I assume you are using a HDD. Upgrading to a a SDD will improve the speed of such tasks." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit post:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit post:" }
If the entire world uses either 110V or 220V, why there are so many kinds of power plugs?
[ "Power plugs were developed independently by different countries at around the same time. There was never a globalized standard set at the time, and even though people travel around the world now, it would be too expensive to change all the plugs." ]
[ "First of all, there are appliances that run better on AC power, so why waste effort on converting it? Items that involve motors or resistive heating either want AC power or are perfectly fine with it. Second of all, you don't know the voltage of all possible DC appliances. If you're going to need to transform your...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why at somewhere around the turn of the century did pubic hair for the majority of women suddenly become fashionable to mostly if not totally remove?
[ "In high school my friend was given 500 playboys from 1960 to 1980. We managed to pinpoint the disappearance of the bush to around march 1973." ]
[ "When you know that you're *supposed* to shave occasionally but don't actually put any effort towards it, what you end up with is a wispy little neckbeard. As a result, the neckbeard has become associated with people who are too lazy to follow the social conventions everyone accepts." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
How do credit settlement companies who claim that people who have a lot of debt don't have to pay it back work?
[ "Broke people can't pay their bills. It's just math. So let's say you owe your credit card companies $25,623 and you don't really have any way of paying that back. You might file bankruptcy, and the credit card companies would get little or nothing. OR they could agree to take $5,000 and just give up on the rest. T...
[ "Bad credit can be very real indication you did not manage your finances and debt well. If i'm hiring someone to manage my company's money, and you can't handle your own finances, why should I trust you to handle mine?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
If a dark-skinned population moved to an area currently populated by fair-skinned people (eg Scandinavia) and didn't interbreed, would they eventually become white-skinned? If so, how long would it take? And would the same be true for a fair-skinned people moving to, say, central Africa?
[ "\"Once you go Black you never go back\"?" ]
[ "Being blonde is a genetically recessive trait. This means that they have to get the genes for blonde hair from both parents for the hair to be blonde. If they get genes for brown hair or black hair those will take precedence and you will not be blonde. In general you have not had enough mixing with Europeans for t...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the post about History:", "pos": "Represent the document about History:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why do we have different cups for different drinks? Wine Glasses for Wine, Coffee Mugs for Coffee, etc
[ "The aromatic compounds of alcohol are intensified depending on the shape of the glass. So a brandy smells better in a snifter/large goblet, and wine in a wine glass. Champagne glasses direct the bubbles to the nose. Shot glasses are for rapid drinking and convenient measurements. Soda/water glasses are for volume ...
[ "A lot of stuff. Roasted Ham is probably the most common thing eaten, but Turkey would not be too uncommon either for the main course. There will likely be some bread at the table as well (sort of goes without saying I would think), be it in roll or loaf form. Other than that, there is not a whole lot of limitation...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post about Language and culture:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Language and culture:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
I sue someone who doesn't have the money for something and I get 1000k$ from the judge. Will I ever get the money?
[ "It depends on several factors. If they have insurance, then the insurance might pay you. If they have a job, you may be able to \"garnish\" their wages (have some of their wages sent to you to pay off the debt). If they acquire something valuable (e.g. they inherit money or win the lottery) you may be able to get ...
[ "Well... the fact that they would lose. If you don't defend yourself in a civil case guess what... the other guy wins. So the next letter would be \"since you didn't bother to defend yourself, we've gone ahead and awarded the other party damages\" and a bill for $X." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the passage:", "neg": "Represent the passage:" }
why does FaceTime Audio call sound so much clearer than regular calling?
[ "FaceTime audio uses data, which has a higher bitrate than a regular call. More bits = more information = better quality :)" ]
[ "I've only had this happen a couple of times, but never with FaceTime since I'm an Android user. Regardless, it seemed that in my situation the cell providers technology glitches and switches and /or combines audio streams. In both of my cases, it switched audio streams such that when I called the my original perso...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
What makes it so difficult to cure paralysis?
[ "Nerves do not regenerate the way other cells do. Nerves when cut quickly close themselves off to the matrix outside of the cell, and can grow back a little bit, but we don't see nerves re-fusing together frequently. If we are able to manipulate the severed nerves to join together and the functionality stays the sa...
[ "Because people shouldn't be allowed to die from treatable illnesses, and clinical depression is a treatable illness." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the title:", "pos": "Represent the sentence:", "neg": "Represent the sentence:" }
What would happen to a lawyer if they defended somebody that they knew was guilty of the crime?
[ "They'd have done their job. That is what they are *supposed* to do. They're not allowed to lie in court of course, but they can absolutely defend their client even though the client is actually guilty. They can present mitigating circumstances, they can argue for acquittal due to various technicalities (if the pro...
[ "If they were proved, in a court of law, beyond a reasonable doubt, to have knowingly and falsely accused someone, they do get sent to prison." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit post:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit post:" }
why does water go stale?
[ "Stale is causing a lot of confusion and i am assuming op wants to know why water changes flavor. Turning stale Is laymen term for oxidation. Oxidation refers to a change in oxidation state or a loss in electrons. Water in a closed system will never go stale but in certain containers technically it is going stale. ...
[ "It lowers your blood sugar, eat a spoon of peanut butter and you'll go right back to sleep. Source: saw it on a meme a while back" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Sleep and fatigue:" }
Could the U.S military (or someone with a boatload of money), technically just upscale those R/C toy robot dinosaurs to create their own 'Metal Gear' programme?
[ "Theoretically, but why would they? Metal Gear would be a bit pointless in reality." ]
[ "They have drones. Sometimes there are purpose built drones like the [Chukar](_URL_0_), sometimes they'll rig a mothballed old fighter from the boneyards in Arizona and remote control it. The 82nd aerial targets unit out of Tyndall AFB fly old F-4s as full size targets." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why can't we use vacuums for buoyancy?
[ "> Wouldn't a space with no material in it have a much lower density? It would! The problem is the materials we have that could support such a vacuum chamber without it crushing are too heavy for the displacement of the vacuum. If we somehow had a magical material which wouldn't collapse under the pressure but was ...
[ "> is it possible to eventually reach a point where whatever you are displacing weighs more than you meaning you will float there and not fall any deeper? Yes. You could in concept make a balloon that would float in the atmosphere. The problem is extremely powerful winds would likely destroy it. As for ships most o...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the post:", "pos": "Represent the passage:", "neg": "Represent the passage:" }
Is 3D printing the exact replica of a copyrighted item illegal?
[ "Yes. Copying a copyrighted item is illegal, no matter how you do it. That's what \"copyright\" means." ]
[ "It takes a highly skilled individual, or team of individuals, a long time and a lot of effort to create a realistic CGI replica of an everyday object. It's far more affordable to just have a photographer shoot a set." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:" }
Why is Finnegan's Wake considered to be such a classic of English literature, when it's completely incomprehensible and scholars can't even agree on what the plot is?
[ "Some literature is interesting not for its themes, popularity, or plot, but because of the way it uses language and explores the English language and the written medium. Finnegan's Wake is interesting precisely *because* it's (almost) completely incomprehensible. Think of it like Marcel Duchamp's urinal, submitted...
[ "Nietzsche devotes an inordinate amount of time berating his readers for being lazy and misunderstanding him. Seriously, he repeatedly goes out of his way to tell you how stupid you probably are and that you need to slow down and focus or you'll fuck everything up. He even lets you know in some of his books that th...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why is the Christmas hype starting earlier every year?
[ "Yes, it's all about marketing. Some retail businesses don't turn a profit at all without the Christmas shopping season. Moving everything up earlier extends the number of days that consumers will have to 'get in the spirit' of it all, and leads to more sales." ]
[ "Why is election on weekdays instead of weekends?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
how can hot water freeze faster then cold water ?
[ "This is known as the [Mpemba effect](_URL_0_) and currently has no solid (ha-ha) explanation. Personally, I think it is that the hot water evaporates more than cold water - thus, less hot water exists than cold water when trying to freeze it, and as such the freezing is quicker." ]
[ "nuclear fuel rods heat water, steam turns a turbine. they are very basic, no need to complicate it more than need be." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:" }
Is there any reason why, in a car, the acceleration pedal is vertical while the brake pedal is horizontal
[ "It makes the brake pedal wider than the accelerator so that if you hit one by mistake, it's more likely to be the brake than the accelerator. It's a safety thing." ]
[ "because the steering wheel is connected to the front wheel by a long column called *drumroll* the steering column if you look at the side profile of a typical car, the driver sits above and behind the front wheels. hence the steering column needs to connect diagonally. if you look at a bus, the driver sits very m...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Transportation:" }
How did sheep evolve to have wool if they can't remove it themselves?
[ "The didn't evolve to have that much wool, they were selectively bred for it via thousands of years of domestication." ]
[ "It's your skin trying to make your body hair fluff up to improve your insulation and keep you warmer. Your skin hasn't cottoned on yet that you no longer have a significant amount of body hair." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
How did they discover that adding all those random ingredients together would make a cake?
[ "It is sort of evolution. You start out with our ancestors cracking open eggs and slurping the liquids inside. Some other ancestor found wild grass seeds and chewed on them. A third one saw a calf drinking from an utter. A fourth one found salt either in a cave or on a rocky shore. A fifth one ate some sugar beets ...
[ "Not sure of the exact science, but it's some sort of chemical reaction with toothpaste and orange juice that makes it taste horrible" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
What makes the ejaculation of seminal fluid feel so good during orgasm and why does this sensation differ from urinating?
[ "One thing I've noticed is, the more semen I have to ejaculate, the better the orgasm." ]
[ "It's a small bit of fluid and mucus from two different glands that are activated when a man gets aroused, it acts as a way to lubricate and change the acidity of the vagina to ensure that sperm survives for fertilization. Men have no control over it, and it leaves the urethra during both masturbation and intercour...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the paragraph:", "neg": "Represent the paragraph:" }
When discussing a cars performance, why are 0-62 times sometimes used rather than 0-60 times?
[ "Because 62mph ~100 kph. It makes it easy to understand rather than posting a 0-60 mph and a 0-100 kph, you can just use 0-62 mph." ]
[ "Horsepower is a function of torque (HP = torque x RPM / 5252). Most diesel engines that the average consumer can buy rarely rev past 5000 rpm. So doing the math, a petrol engine that can rev to 7000 rpm is going to make a lot more horsepower that a diesel at 5000 rpm can do." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:" }
How do school TV systems work?
[ "You should for sure take that class. There are basically faders and computers that people operate, as well as audio people and people that push play on recordings. If you're asking this question, you're 100% guaranteed to enjoy this course as much or more than anyone else." ]
[ "It's a big system. It also carries a bit from state to state. Are you interested in the application process? Policy? Logistics?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the title:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why did it change from Chinese New Year to 'Lunar New Year' if multiple other cultures have lunar calendars with different dates for New Years (ie Islam, Judaism, etc)?
[ "It is technically called Lunar New Years because, as you know, the calender is based off the phases of the moon. It is commonly called Chinese New Years in the west because \"white people\" first heard of this from the Chinese immigrants who came during the California Gold Rush of 1849 to 1860s. Chinese New Years ...
[ "It doesn't. There are, and have been, many different calendars. Many are older than the calendar which starts at year 1 (AD or CE) with the birth of Jesus. Human civilisations that had calendars date back thousands of years before the birth of Jesus. There are calendars in use in today's world that don't use that ...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why do some dishes heat up quicker than the actual food contents?
[ "Today you learned there's a difference between scold and scald." ]
[ "This is a good question, and I've noticed this too. My theory is that they don't transfer heat as well as glass or ceramic, leading to less evaporation of the water on them." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:" }
Why do extremities puff up when they experience frostbite?
[ "Frostbite occurs when parts of the body get so cold that the water in the cells freezes. When water freezes, it expands. This bursts cell walls, including arterial walls, and can cause fluids to leak into surrounding tissue instead of continuing to circulate around the body. This leaked fluid builds up over time a...
[ "It means your extremities are not getting the adequate supply of oxygen from your blood. Your extremities are the farthest from your heart so they are the most difficult to supply with blood. If something causes the blood flow to be disrupted, you get a tingling feeling in your extremities similar to a limb going ...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
How fast do you regain blood lost and what are the downside of having less blood in the body?
[ "All of the components of the blood are replaced at different speeds. It takes about 4-6 weeks to completely replace the red blood cells, which are the oxygen-carrying components of the blood. Drawing a bit of blood does not really have a major effect on the body because it's a small proportion compared to the over...
[ "This is actually a popular way for some athletes to improve their performance. Im not familiar with all the details, but from what I understand it gives more energy and slightly enhanced physical abilities for a short time as the body works to break down the extra blood." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query about Biology:", "pos": "Represent the passage about Biology:", "neg": "Represent the passage:" }
How do we know/deduce what color dinosaurs are?
[ "We don't. It's all just educated guesses based on the animal's supposed environment and modern relatives." ]
[ "A better question would be: \"Why are birds so much smaller than their ancestors, the dinosaurs?\" ;-)" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document about biology:" }
Why television and media cameras are so big, despite the same level of picture detail being achievable on much smaller devices?
[ "Much higher quality sensors and optics. In order to fit a small camera on the back of your phone, there's a lot of compromises that need to be made so that it will fit in that limited space. That will affect the sharpness, clarity, and detail of the image, and when you're getting paid for top quality shots, a came...
[ "We've had cameras that have a higher resolution than our eyes can see for a very long time. Old school film cameras could take photos that could be blown up to ridiculous sizes. A limit to digital cameras? Again, we've been above human visual threshold for a while now, assuming the image is stored in RAW format (h...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit text:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit text:" }
Is sign langue the same all over the world?
[ "No. You have many different sign languages, and some languages differ between countries. American Sign Language is different from British Sign Language." ]
[ "So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
How is the panel of judges determined for Olympic events and how do they ensure that the judges aren't biased towards a certain country?
[ "Well in London 2012, in the women's epee fencing semi-final, the timekeeper delayed starting the clock so that time wouldn't run out and the German fencer would have time to score a touch on the South Korean fencer. So whatever system is in place, it's clearly not perfect." ]
[ "A core part of being a 'sport' is the element of competition. If the primary outcome of the activity is one party 'winning' while one or more parties 'lose', then you might have a sport. However, if the activity merely serves to entertain without any final determination of victory, it isn't a sport. Many people wo...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query:", "pos": "Represent the comment:", "neg": "Represent the comment:" }
What about Subway makes it so unhealthy?
[ "Subway brands itself via subs like the 6\" veggie delight (no meat or mayo just a selection of their veggie toppings) or turkey (without chesse with veggies and no mayo) which are relatively healthy. However, when most people order at Subway, they order much less healthy options (lots of meat, cheese, mayo or simi...
[ "Answer me this: why is pizza so delicious?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit post:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit post:" }
How does a quantum computer collapse into the right answer?
[ "You don't. I know that answer makes people cringe, but that's the point of quantum mechanics. A traditional computer typically works by reading a high or low voltage. When you're talking about quantum mechanics you're dealing with spin states of electrons. There's a possibility to where you won't be able to distin...
[ "We think it should be possible to create convincing simulations of our universe within our universe using computers. Why, then, must we be at the \"top\" of the simulation stack? When you consider that any given \"real\" universe could contain any number of simulations, and that each simulation capable of supporti...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why are there creases in our palm and why are they permanently there throughout our lifetime?
[ "Creases form on our hands in the womb. They allow our hand skin to squeeze and stretch without bunching up. These creases are called Palmar Flexion creases." ]
[ "Why are noses different in size, why are people different heights, why do we have different hair colors?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the comment:", "neg": "Represent the comment about Biology:" }
How some people can will themselves awake without the use of an alarm.
[ "Habit. I've woken up at around 6AM for the past 6 years. Except for the weekends when I stay up late, I generally go to sleep around the same time during the week and usually wake around 5:55AM. I still set an alarm though in case I happen to not wake up by myself." ]
[ "A lot of people find that they cannot sleep as well when they have set an alarm, because they fear missing the alarm. The knowledge that the alarm is coming makes them anticipate the alarm, and so they aren't able to sleep as well. That's why a lot of sleep specialists will tell you to place an alarm in a place wh...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the post:", "pos": "Represent the paragraph:", "neg": "Represent the paragraph about Health:" }
Why is it called Hardy's on the East Coast and Carl's Jr. on the West Coast?
[ "Because Carl's bought Hardees. Instead of changing Hardee's to Carl's, they kept the name and gradually changed the menus to be pretty much the same things. I would guess that Hardees has a loyal following, so they left the name alone." ]
[ "Where do you mean? Europe? The US? Middle East? Africa? Eastern Asia?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why do humans generally avoid eating other predators?
[ "As far as I know, the main reason is cost. If we want to farm meat, we can either: - Grow crops, feed them to herbivores, and eat those, or - Grow crops, feed them to herbivores, feed those to carnivores, and then eat them The first one is cheaper - more meat per unit of crops, plus one less stage in the productio...
[ "\"Fish\" is an extremely broad category. Maybe there are some species that practice cannibalism, but generally fish would eat other species of fish. Much like how many mammals eat other species of mammals (including humans of course)." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the post:", "neg": "Represent the post:" }
Why are there harmful chemicals in cigarettes?
[ "The lists of hundreds of harmful chemicals you see are things found in cigarette *smoke*. The analogy I like to use is that burning a cigarette is the chemical equivalent of a tornado hitting a house. If you walk through a house after it gets leveled by a tornado you might think \"Man, there's all kinds of splinte...
[ "1. A cigarette is made of dried and fine tobacco leaves wrapped in thin paper while pipe tobacco is made of coarse tobacco leaves placed in pipes for smoking. 2. A cigarette has two flavors, regular and menthol while pipe tobacco has many flavors, ranging from spicy to fruity to sweet. 3. The flavor and aroma of c...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query:", "pos": "Represent the paragraph:", "neg": "Represent the paragraph:" }
Non-HD TV looks worse than it did years ago. Have I just adjusted to HD or is the quality actually worse?
[ "A lot of TV channels are more and more heavily compressing their signals in order to run more channels. For example, here in Australia, 7 used to run at 10Mbit, then they switched to 7Mbit on their main and 3Mbit on a secondary channel, and now 4Mbit/3Mbit/3Mbit across three channels, all of which look a lot worse...
[ "The visual quality did not go down. Most likely, the average quality of videos has gone up, and now that you have other videos to compare the old ones to, you will notice the flaws of the earlies ones. You should be prepared to experience that again and again. I'm 34, and if look at the video games I used to play...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:" }
Why did the Iraqi Army and the ARVN in the 70s failed so miserably, despite after having the US invest billions of dollars in them?
[ "Training and equipment aren't the only things required to have a successful army... Commitment and resolve are important too...And it just wasn't there for these armies... These conflicts in particular have/had levels to them that \"we\", meaning the US Government, didn't understand, maybe willfully...They were/ar...
[ "You can launch as many air strikes as you want, eventually you're going to need a ground army to go in and flush them out. The ground forces that have been battling ISIS for the last four years are a combination of other revel groups, Kurdish militias, and the Iraqi and Syrian Armies. The Syrian Army is the only o...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph about current affairs:" }
How is it allowed for publishers to make textbooks and homework codes so expensive?
[ "What do you mean by \"allowed\"? Who would have the power to prevent publishers from charging what they want to charge?" ]
[ "My question on this that probably goes along with the OP is how is it these companies can claim \"ownership\" and why cant we at a consumer level, just claim our own domain name?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit query:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why isn't the Flint water crisis fixed yet?
[ "The Flint water problem isn't fixed yet because there are miles and miles and miles of pipe that need to be replaced and that takes a lot of time and money. It will get fixed, but it won't happen overnight. Or even in less than several years because they have to dig up every pipe in the damn town." ]
[ "What about the US election do you want explained, specifically?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit title:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:" }
Do reincarnation theories account for population growth, and if so how?
[ "The way it was explained to me is that reincarnation isn't linear in time. You can come back at any point in time, even at the same time as previous or other versions of yourself. You can even be friends with yourself. One of the crazier but awesome ideas I've heard is that all life on earth could all be the same ...
[ "Follow-up question: If it is purely a modern idea, where did this idea come from, and how much validity is there to it?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
How were different languages first translated?
[ "Daniel Everett cracked the language barrier with the Pirahã of South America. I watched what I believe was a TED talk about it and he commented on this matter. Social barriers aside (so that they didn't outright kill him), he says you pick up a stick and you say \"stick\". And then you write down phonetically what...
[ "I cannot speak for all of the languages but the Latin alphabet, (the one used by most European and Western Countries) spread across Europe as the Romans expanded their empire. Even after the fall of the Roman state, the alphabet survived in intellectual and religious works. It eventually became used for the descen...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post about Language and Translation:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Language and Translation:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:" }
What happens in America if someone rings 911 for an ambulance and that person is dying, but they do not have health insurance?
[ "The ambulance comes. They get cared for, taken to the emergency room, get treated. Then they start getting really large bills that they cannot pay and end up declaring bankruptcy." ]
[ "Yes. There are people with serious health issues who are forced to wear things which specifically say not to call an ambulance - because they wouldn't be able to afford it. Many people have been using UBER to get to hospital in an emergency because it's cheaper..." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the title:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why does club soda taste salty when bubbly and sweet when bubbles run out?
[ "Carbonic acid. Club soda is water plus CO2 (carbon dioxide) bubbles. But flat club soda is not just water. Dissolved carbon dioxide actually changes the water. Water with dissolved CO2 is called carbonic acid and like it's name suggests, is mildly acidic which gives it a slightly bitter or vinegary flavor. Club s...
[ "Sparkling water contains a gas called Carbondioxide. Normal air contains carbondioxide too. When carbondioxide gets pressed into water and forms bubbles, a bit of the carbondioxide and the water mix and form carbonic acid. This is what makes the water taste sour like lemon." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
What's this ongoing drama with Benjamin Netanyahu about?
[ "He is also going to be addressing the US Congress in a couple weeks, which was controversial due to the circumstances of the invitation being extended. Additionally, he is coming under fire for his personal expenses." ]
[ "Does it anything to do with the US citizen member of Al-Queda killed this year?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the title:", "pos": "Represent the text:", "neg": "Represent the text:" }
Double jeopardy law.
[ "Yes, it really does mean that. They could find a confession written in Nicole's blood and over OJ's signature, and they couldn't charge him again." ]
[ "The tradition is in farming/agriculture. Child labor :)" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Education:" }
Are 'Tha' and 'Thee' as in "Tha Home" and "Thee Houses" two separate words, two separate pronunciations, or some other plural english weirdness?
[ "The two pronunciations of the word \"the\", that is, sounding like 'tha' or 'thee,' follow the same rule as \"a\" vs. \"an.\" When the *the* follows a vowel sound, you use 'thee' (ex. The Apple). And if the doesn't, you use 'tha' (The car). They are both only one word, however." ]
[ "Gonna be a poor answer from me seeing as how I'm no etymologist but its Latin root \"Co\", meaning \"together\" suggests its current spelling \"couple\" and not \"cuple\" as words generally retain their roots over time. Why in the first place it's pronounced \"couple\" and not \"coople\" or \"cople\" like its spel...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the query:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why American films/tv shows look so different to others...
[ "It's partially a technical issue, America has always had a different TV system to most of the rest of the world. Traditionally it was 525 lines and 30 frames a second, whereas almost everywhere else was 625/25. Therefore American programmes have always looked a bit odd here in the UK and there's presumably the sam...
[ "British accent is the default for any American movie that takes place outside of America. It's completely nonsensical, but that's just how it is. In Valkerie: Nazi officials speak English with British accents. Even in HUGO, early 20th century France: British accent. It's still in English so Americans will watch it...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the post:", "pos": "Represent the comment:", "neg": "Represent the comment:" }
Why are the southern states that took part in the Confederacy proud instead of deeply ashamed of it and their defeat?
[ "Because 3 in 10 southern men fought for the Confederacy so a huge chunk of the South has an ancestor that fought for the CSA. Compare that with something like a percent of all Americans now are in the military. Also consider that the South has an independent culture from the rest of the US. From Texas to Virginia ...
[ "The rebel flag was flown by the Confederacy, which was founded to continue slavery. The flag later got brought back in the 1960s by white people countering black civil rights protests, using it as a symbol for \"We're against black equality.\" Since then, a generation of Southerns were raised on the idea that the ...
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the question:", "pos": "Represent the document:", "neg": "Represent the document:" }
Why did a gentleman toss a catfish on the ice during the recent NHL playoff game?
[ "The Legend of the Octopus is a sports tradition during Detroit Red Wings home playoff games involving dead octopuses thrown onto the ice rink. The origins of the activity go back to the 1952 playoffs, when a National Hockey League team played two best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup. The Nashville Pred...
[ "While I don't know hockey well enough to give you a good explanation, I do know you can anger any hockey fan watching a game by saying the following words: \"Hey, what quarter are we in?\"" ]
eli5_question_answer
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why do we have to "safely remove" USB devices?
[ "[here](_URL_0_) is a good explanation. tl;dr osx and linux uses write caching which means the OS waits until a decent amount of data is queued to do the writing since many little jobs is more expensive/slower than a few large writes. windows is more discriminative on ejectable drives" ]
[ "Ignore everyone else. Remove the hard drive. You will need a philips head screwdriver. The hard drive will [look like this](_URL_2_). The computer you are describing is going to use IDE. [These devices will enclose your hard drive and interface it with USB](_URL_1_). They are insanely easy to put together. Everyo...
eli5_question_answer
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How does mimicry happen amongst lower organisms?
[ "Pretty much the same way evolution does. There is species a and species b. Species b is poisonous. Species c hunts down both species. When it eats species b it dies. Species c notices that b is harmful. When species a is born, it can have different looks, for simplicity's sake let's assume there are 2: similar to ...
[ "Genetics and environmental factors - the same thing that affects most variability in human traits." ]
eli5_question_answer
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if we're conscious of our own addictions why do we still act on them?
[ "Probably because of the PHYSICAL discomfort that comes with the absence of certain addictions. Alcoholics feel terrible if they don't drink because their bodies need the fix at that point. Smokers don't feel \"pain\" by quitting but their emotions do end up being thrown out of whack in the early stages of quitting...
[ "Cringing is our brain's way of associating negativity with stupid shit so we know not to do it again." ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit post:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:" }
Why are some YouTube videos blocked on mobile?
[ "I think that the rates Youtube pays for video ad views/clicks are different for mobile phones and for \"real\" computers. Youtube also probably has an opaque way of calculating how much money you get per view/ad-click based on your number of subscribers, where they're from, how much they adventure on the website t...
[ "I used to be able to watch longer videos on my phone via LTE. Apparently this changed sometime earlier this week. Now when trying to watch, say, a 3-hour podcast on YouTube, it says that the video is only available on WiFi. This is very new and I'm wondering why YouTube would do this. Anyone?" ]
eli5_question_answer
{ "query": "Represent the Reddit question:", "pos": "Represent the Reddit document:", "neg": "Represent the Reddit document:" }
Why do I get carsick when looking at something in the car (e.g. a phone), but not if my eyes are closed?
[ "Motion sickness is caused by the signals from your eyes conflicting with the signals from other senses, such as the sense of balance, motion, etc. If you are in a car, you can feel the car moving. If you look outside, the feeling and the sight of the car moving works together so you know that you are moving. If yo...
[ "Your brain adjusts to the movement pattern of the gif, and doesn't compensate instantly when you move to look at the picture. It has nothing to do with the Starry Night picture, the illusion works the same if you looked at the back of your hand." ]
eli5_question_answer
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